Buying a wrecked porsche - help
 

Hello

I'm in the market of purchasing a 997.1 C2S and looking to build a fixer-upper (if possible). I would like to know if anyone has purchased a wrecked or salvaged Porsche before so that they can build(engine and or body) it the way they wanted to? I would love to build a Naturally Aspirated engine and have the car running nice!

If you have and if you have any advice that I can possibly use, like what is a good auction to use or is the resale value going to be really bad? Basically the pros and cons would be awesome and much appreciated!

Look forward to hearing some real good debates!

O

For the vast majority of people a "fixer upper" is a 997 that requires some minor services and wear items replaced to bring the car up to spec. Things like oil/filter service, brake fluid flush/bleed, new tires, brakes, plugs, coils, maybe a new clutch or wheel bearing, or some other relatively minor problem that has not advanced far enough to cause any collateral damage and can be put right with new parts and possibly new fluid.

AFAIK Porsche does not publish any 997 engine details for those who wish to rebuild the engine even to the stock specifications. Thus you would be working in the dark regarding the engine rebuild.

If you are capable of properly vetting a wrecked 997 with damage extensive enough to require a salvage title as a good fixer upper candidate car and then doing the work you do not need or should not need to ask for advice on this subject.

Not to be mean but to put it to you as best as I can if you have to ask about doing this you shouldn't do it.

mac typed it to a tee.....even more shocking....he did it in less than 500 words.

What skills do you have in terms of mechanics and/or body work with German engineered sports cars???

Regards,

CF

I have one for you. Let me tell you, this think is awesome....
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...5514f3a47f.jpg


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...449a1f7ce9.jpg


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...5c68c7f4c7.jpg


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...c347232b34.jpg

2009 C4S, and I'm also in Miami.

OP looking forward to the good debates on whether he should buy a wrecked Porsche. Gmab

Uh, it only takes 5:

IF YOU HAVE TO ASK...

Thanks everyone for their feedback. I'm only asking to see if anyone has done it, I notice a lot of crashed porsche out there.
Also I race motorcycles and a salvaged title could just be body damage and the frame is straight and I'm able race a bike for cheap.
Also when I say build engine I'm referring to pumping the displacement to 200cc over stock / cams / Rods etc.
Again thanks

CF
I've been researching for about 6-8 months now.

Sounds like a good plan--expecially the pumping displacement part. Either Sunset or Seacoast (I don't recall which) had displacement pumps on sale just before the holidays--you might give them a call to see if they are back in stock.

:roflmao:

Been around cars a long time and I'm sure someone has bought a salvaged 997 and resurrected it.

It is just a rare event. Totalled 997's don't grow on trees and by the time the dust has settled every body shop owner, fixer upper shop owner in the area has scouted out the car with an eye to finding a suitable car to buy for a song and put as little money into as possible and turn around and sell the car for a nice profit.

If a car goes through this process of examination by I dare say some pretty experienced people and is still around the car is a parts donor car not a fixer upper.

Bumping the engine displacement by 200CC? Adding custom cams and rods and such? Probably someone has done this but I do not remember coming across a post by anyone who's done this. A few have asked about rebuilding a 997 engine but run into the fact that Porsche just doesn't publish the engine details like other automakers.

Years ago when I was helping friends build engines on my way to learning enough to rebuild engines on my own for most engines almost every automotive machine shop and autoparts store had details on bearing sizes, clearances, stocked or could get 30 over pistons and after market rods, cams and what have you. And the stuff was relatively inexpensive.

But Porsches at least starting with the 996 water cooled models and newer... I have found nothing available.

One noted engine buider has some -- enough -- info in order to rebuild 996 (and 986) engines but he doesn't publish/share this info. I do not know if he is going to gather or has gathered the info together so he can also when the time comes do 997 engines. Even if he has this info good luck getting him to share his hard won knowledge. (Just so it is clear: I don't fault him for his keeping this to himself.)

For the engine my advice would be to see if you can locate an engine builder who can do the machine work and stuff you can't do and see if the builder has experience bumping the engine size out 200cc and fitting cams and rods and what have you. Check the ads in Excellence and Panorama.

For the chassis/tub unless you have a very good eye the only way I know to determine the extent of any chassis/tub damage is to partially disassemble the car and put it on an alignment bench (Celette is one I know about) and check all the body/tub/chassis hard points for proper location. (You need access to the bench and the fixtures. Celette doesn't sell these but rents them out.) If these hard points are ok then that's good. If not then you have to decide if the body/chassis/tub can be pulled straight. Then of course you have to pull the body straight.

If you believe the car can be brought into spec then you have to do this as a straight car is the only suitable starting platform for a car you are going to resurrect.

Sometimes a car comes to a point in its existence it is suitable only to give up its parts to keep better cars on the road. Almost always a car with a salvage title is such a car. It is a parts donor. Nothing more.

Though it has been a while since it happened…when I crashed my GT3 at WGI I entered into negotiations with the insurance company. Ultimately they decided to total it out.

The guy who bought it on a salvage title got in touch with me. Over a period of time he rebuilt it but had to admit he spent more then he thought he would and more then the car was worth!

The insurance guys have a pretty good idea how much it takes to fix something up.
Many techs have just as good an ability. If you are not in that league then perhaps cost overruns are in the future.

Doesn't sharkwerks build out 3.8's to 4.0? That's 200cc, right? :)
I believe it's been done, and by other shops as well. I'm sure it's not cheap, even for complete DIY, but it has been done...